Year Four of Tying the Knot

How is it already mid August!! More than half the year has just slipped away... Gone, gone, gone. Time is such a scary thing. But, I do think we've made some accomplishments throughout the year. Please send a round of applause to David. Husband dearest is DONE with year THREE of medical school and took his second boards exams and just started his LAST YEAR as a medical student. Can you believe it? Wish us, especially him good luck this year as he will be interviewing across the nation for residency. Our unknown future scares me. I'm always the gal that sticks to what she's familiar with--same restaurant, same order, same man (jk), and etc. Change frightens me. But the uncertainty of it also excites me just so. Especially since it's with David.

We just celebrated our FOUR year anniversary. Four years seem short and long- hard to believe we've been married for that long.. But, I simply cannot imagine my life without David now. When I try and think of my past-- good and bad, it takes me awhile to think of one before him.

Marriage, it certainly isn't easy. There are times when I have to remind myself my husband has emotions too. He's such a rockstar. My apple to my pie, the straw to my berry. He truly is the happy to my ending. Here's to many many happy years ahead of us.

CelebratEng: the big THREE-OH!

Hello dirty flirty thirty! I've been thirty for two weeks-ish now. Ugh.

 Most people excitedly anticipate the arrival of their birthday. It is that one day your smart-mouth and sassiness will be tolerated.  I, however, awoke on May 27th, realized the day and pulled the covers over my head.  If I ignored the day, would that have prevented my time clock from ticking into its thirties?  Darlings, how is it when one numeral change--the flick of a change from 2 to 3, that minuscule change affects everything in your life? I mean everything?

It's as if my body welcomed me to the new era (of the thirties) by showing me what it's like to age.

The day of, a coworker of mine noticed a gray hair. I whipped around and instantly begged her to pluck it out. Twas not a good way to celebrate.. Shortly after, I noticed some extra wrinkles here and there on my face.  And, a few days later, my dentist kindly nudged me into scheduling an appointment with a periodontist due to "gum" issues.  I shrieked and yelled that I did turn thirty a few days ago and asked if maybe that's why.  He chuckled and said, "most people will have receding gums and it is very normal. (Very normal to those of age 30 and above I'm sure..) Sigh

To celebrate the big THREE-OH, sweet husband of mine really did out-do himself. 

A week before, husband dearest took me away on a short trip to the capitol city of Tejas, Austin.

Yeah, we didn't even try eating at the original Hop Doddy's.

 Food Recommendations:

• Lick's Icecream: so light and so creamy.  Their mint flavored ice cream literally tastes like mint leaves.  It's amazing.
• Kerby Lane Cafe: The 30-40 minute wait is well worth it.  Their chicken fried steak and lemon poppy seed pancakes, best I've ever had.  And holy moly the portions are HUGE!
• Ramen Tastsuya: The ambiance wasn't my favorite.  But, the broth, OMG. We sat for a good few minutes trying to come up with ideas to take the broth back home. That good. 
• Chilantro: I'm not big fan of Mexican food. But, this is a Tex-Mex-Korean fusion with lots of kimchi thrown in all the dishes. Definitely worth a try!
• And, last but not least, Shake Shack, which we visited one too many times.. 

  I wish we could say it was adventurous. But, we did what we do best---EAT. Sometimes life is too noisy and a tad bit complicated. Ours, just as anyone else’s was wearing us out and we felt the need to remove ourselves from it for a day or two. Kind of like a cleanse to rejuvenate and then step back into reality. Welcoming the age of thirty with him only made me a bit teary. At this age, it would be nice to have a little one trudging along beside us. But, I know God has His reasons for not giving us little Eng juniors just yet.  So, I am trying to shake off the sadness and cherish the moments we have--just the two of us--until our lovely littles join us one day.

The day of, I received several surprises! First, my sister sent me my favorite sugar cookies in the world all the way from Provo, UT. I wish I had snapped a picture to send and confirm that I received her gift. But as you can guess, it took me seconds to gobble all of them up! No one can do desserts like Utah. 

Then, David surprised me by sending me a bouquet of my absolute favorite flowers.  If you know David, he’s not a spender (which is good because it balances us out). To be honest, when I received the beautiful bouquet, I tried so hard to think if I had a secret admirer out there without my knowing.  If only.  Just kidding.  It was just my sweet ole’ good David that I’m lucky to call my husband.

After making it through work, a bunch of us went out to stuff ourselves with Korean BBQ per the birthday girl’s request. It was a lovely night. We polished off trays of meat, much laugher filled the room, and then we ended the night with some sugary sweets. The minute we got home,  I was surprised with a typewriter with a sweet note awaiting me. He is quite amazing, isn't he? After playing with my new toy for a bit, the clock struck 10pm. I crawled into bed and said goodbye to this special day of mine. I guess age is finally catching up... David soon followed and gently plopped a kiss on my cheek. There's nothing else that would've made this birthday more perfect with my dearest next to me. 

TravelEng: Holiday Getaway 2015

David and I have not been able to have a getaway of our own for quite some time.  2015 was especially hectic since David started rotations. Let me just throw this out there, I am extremely proud of my husband and his dedication to Medicine / Science / School.  However, it is not easy being married to a med student… so… when David was on his surgery rotation and we seldom saw each other, we had enough! With the help from David’s parents, we booked a getaway! Finally the time came for us to pack up and jump on a plane that to take us far away from reality.

Four years ago, David and I, including some friends of ours headed over to Vegas during our Thanksgiving break. This was exactly a month after David and I started dating. Mind you, we were close friends for a very long time before transitioning into this awkward couple phase.  During the trip, we fought every single day. We knew one day we would want to go back and redo Vegas all over again to create better memories.

So, off we went--and we had a blast!  Disconnecting ourselves from school and work, concentrating on each other, our families, and trying to take advantage of the "present" was great.

We did it all over again - we walked every inch of the colorful streets of the Vegas strip. We stepped into every intriguing stop, glanced at all the various hotels, snapped pictures here and there, and oh did we taste and savor every available snack and meal we could get our hands on!

Kissable chocolate-covered lips. 

Chcocolate-heaven. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING!! David let me buy one single bag.. Psh!!!

After indulging ourselves in Vegas, we drove off into a completely different scene. Away from the bright bustling streets of Vegas into the breezy, salty, blue skies of San Diego.

It’s been years since I last visited San Diego with my parents and siblings. All I remember is Sea World and Free Willy.  My brother (one was not yet born), sister, and myself in matching yellow shirts, squealing with excitement while shamus would splash around--wetting our faces, drenching our clothes. I also remember a harried mother in the background. Oh, and me getting in trouble for constantly begging my parents for churros.

 David and I had a different experience in San Diego. No matching shirts or free Willy. Yes to churros. Although that did require some of Diana begging David. Yes to the San Diego Safari Zoo. And lots of yesses to romantic strolls along the beach.

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Every moment was perfect. Hand in hand with the man I so dearly love next to my side. This short but sweet trip helped the both of us rejuvenate. Shake off all the bad from 2015 and start fresh when the new year (very soon) approaches. We will soon be back to our normal routine. Medical school and work will soon take over, leaving the both of us buried with the mountains of tasks to complete. But, it’s okay. I’m learning to enjoy it all—the good and the bad. Because every moment with my love is a good one.